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10 Dec 2016 3:53:37pm

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I wouldn't call atheism a "bitter fact about the world". "Bittersweet" is more apt. Yes, we have to give up grand plans, cosmic justice and afterlives, but these have never existed except in the wishful thinking of religion. Death is confronting, but as Emily Dickinson wrote, "That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." If we let go of religious illusions, we can focus on making the most of our one finite life, and helping others make the most of theirs.

Also, as Pataki notes here, the so-called New Atheists, as well as many of the older ones, see the atheism – religion debate as part of a larger discussion about reason. They say, rightly, that we should base our beliefs on reason and reliable evidence, not on authority, tradition, personal "revelation", inadequate evidence or faith. So this applies to, e.g., astrology and homeopathy just as much as it does to religion. And the point is that both individual and societal well-being would be greatly improved if more people were more rational in their decision-making.